During the Industrial Revolution, the use of coal became the most widely utilized fuel source on the planet. Sounding eerily familiar, the early application of passive solar technologies, primarily for water heating and distillation, started in the 1860s and was borne of the concern that coal would become increasingly scarce. But the development of more advanced solar power technologies (photovoltaic cells) stalled in the early twentieth century due to an increase in the availability of cheaply mined and distributed coal.

In 1973, an Arab oil embargo contributed to the infamous energy crisis that followed in 1979. This even was so disruptive to world economies that analysts feared a total crash if a more sustainable energy supply chain could not be established fast! A mass revision of energy policies was seen throughout the world, and people once again began to talk about the costs and benefits of solar power.

Like the increasingly frequent appearance of solar panels, solar water heating regained popularity due to the crisis. Markets in the solar heating industry grey steadily throughout the 20th century and have averaged 20% growth per year since the millennium. It is now is the most widely deployed solar technology with a projected operating capacity equivalent to 154 GW a year!

In the 80s, high-profile projects like the Federal Photovoltaic Utilization Program in the United States, and the Sunshine Program in Japan organized the earliest federal incentive model for switching to solar power. Still, the initial commercial and residential costs outweighed conventional power nearly ten to one!

Today, the industrialized world hasn’t made solar power much cheaper: The cost to install a new diesel power station is approximately $12 million, while a solar system that could produce the same amount of power would run a city about US$500 million. That is why, without better subsidies there is still so little solar power in this world.

But many people are beginning to realize that solar power isn’t a complicated science. With the right tools and supplies, a persona can build a 60 watt panel in as little as a few hours, and by wiring multiple panels together in series, can dramatically reduce their hydro and heating bills by avoiding the high overhead that recognized manufacturers force their customers to absorb.